A Prince's Hope
by anticlimacticChaos
Summary: All is well in the kingdom of Skaia when disaster strikes and the king is murdered in cold blood by an evil witch. Prince Dirk must go into hiding and start to gather his forces and build up an army to strike against the witch and her corrupted imperial service. The journey is long and difficult that leaves Dirk doubtful that he'll ever be able to overthrow the new Queen of Skaia.
1. Prologue: The Birth of A Noble

_I don't own Homestuck!_

A gentle breeze disturbs the golden curtains and sunlight embraces the large room with warmth. An elderly doctor stands near the enormous bed that resides in the middle of the room. Next to him, a tall and finely built man paces with excitement and impatience. He runs his slender fingers though his brilliant white hair. Stealing a glance to his wife who lies in bed, her platinum blonde hair clings to her forehead and she rests her hand on her swollen stomach. She brings her exhausted magenta eyes to her husband and gives a gentle smile.

Sudden pain flares across her body and she snaps her eyes shut and lets out a soft scream. Maids rush the bewildered man out of the room, where he stands at the door, waiting.

Several hours later the door creaks open and a maid holds a bundle wrapped in soft orange wool. The man races to her and cautiously takes the newborn baby.

"Congratulations Your Majesty, for the prince is strong and healthy."

"A prince. . ." The king mumbles to himself, he pulls back the corner of the blanket that covers the prince's face. He stares down at his son and tears prick his eyes. The baby opens his eyes and meets his father's gaze with vibrant orange eyes. The father holds his baby over his head and declares proudly.

"Prince Dirk!"

**Author's Note**

As promised, here's the new story! Since this is so short, I'll be posting another chapter of this story tonight as well! So, about the gigapause, ready for the last update? I'm not going to lie, I'm going to miss looking forward to each update. I'm going to cry so hard when Hussie updates. Anyway, the next chapter will be up like in probably twenty minutes since I just have to type it out. Sorry this one is so short but it's just the prologue.


	2. Transition of a Nightmare to Reality

"Your Majesty! You must finish your studies!" The young prince stops drawing on his parchment for a moment and stares up at his tutor, Miss Serket. Miss Serket is a unique addition to the Empire. Being one of three of her kind that doesn't live in the wilderness of Skaia, trolls are known to be very reclusive and quite hostile.  
Not much is known about trolls besides the simple fact that they have thick grey skin, have horns, fangs, and claws. Not to mention that their young seem to look like larvae, they're referred to as "grubs" and that they are not raised by adult trolls, they are taken care of by animal looking monsters. Trolls call them lusus, lusii if there is more than one lusus. They also seem to abide by something called the Hemospectrum. They are ruled by the blood caste system, rust red on the bottom and fuchsia residing as ruler.

The other two trolls are the Vantas brothers, their lusus was killed in The Great Civil War and now the eldest works at the local church to support his young brother who is still just a grub. The Vantas brothers are quite interesting, besides not stepping out of the protection of their church in fear of being culled; there rumours of them possessing the same blood colour as humans. Something not heard of in the Trollian society.

Dirk drops his gaze and looks back down at his drawing, he was drawing his horse, Maplehoof. However, being only five, it looked more like a large circle accompanied by smaller circles that serve as the legs and the head.

"They bore me Aranea." A frown sets on Aranea's blue lips as she kneels next to her young prince.

"Why are they so boring?" Dirk lets out a soft sigh while slouching down in his seat.

"Because you talk too much." Aranea stands back up with a patient smile.

"What if I made History more interesting for you, Your Majesty?" Dirk perks up a little, his eyes alight with hints of curiosity.

"How could you do that? Create paintings that could move and tell a story? Does your kind have moving paintings?" Stifling a giggle Aranea shakes her head. _How vivid his imagination is, moving paintings! Such things will never exist! _She thinks to herself.

"No Your Majesty, I do have a story that only lusii tell their young." Dirk leans forward, a very faint smile appears on his pale lips.

"What is the story about Aranea?" She says nothing as she pulls out her necklace. Hanging from a thin leather band is a delicate silver sign. Dirk who just learned his numbers points out to what looks like a six on top of a nine. Aranea tells him that they are not numbers, but iron cuffs.

"Those don't look like iron cuffs."

"Then perhaps I shall tell my story." The prince says nothing and Aranea knows that she has her young pupil hooked.  
"This is the story of The Signless. This happened long ago, even before humans and trolls lived or even knew about each other."

"As you know, all trolls share the same mother with the other trolls providing the seeds for the One Mother. They then are laid as eggs, after hatching they are defenseless grubs. As grubs, they must go through a series of trials to see if they're fit for survival or not. If they pass the trials, they will be picked up by a lusus that has the same blood colour as the grub. There was one grub that was not like the others, for this young grub had carmine blood.

If his blood colour was exposed, he would have been culled without a second thought. However, by some miracle, he was not discovered and he survived the dangerous trials.  
There was no lusus to receive him though, it is unspoken to have a bright ruby red blood colour and the lusii believed that this young grub would bring misfortune. As night began to fall, a beautiful jade blooded adult troll strolled by and saw him.

Her soft heart was overwhelmed with motherly love and she knew his only chance of survival was if she took him in as her own. The moment she picked him up, she knew that he was destined for greatness." Dirk's eyes grow heavy and his head slips from his hand, nearly hitting the ink-stained oak desk. Aranea pauses and looks over at the prince.  
"Is something wrong Your Majesty?"

"It's just a long story." Aranea sighs and shakes her head, human children don't understand the pressure and stress that the grubs must go through.

"Then I'll tell you about his later years, will be be suiting for you, Your Majesty?"

"Yes."

"The Signless began to gather followers, they were faithful followers and clung to every word that flowed from his mouth. He was going across the country, preaching about peace and equality for all trolls. The low bloods fell in love with The Signless whilst the high bloods despised The Signless for they knew that if he was permitted to live; the low bloods were to start rioting.

High bloods around the land started working together and they notified The Grand Highblood. The Grand Highblood was feared for his unpredictable mind and his cruel punishments. Once he learned of The Signless, he had him captured along with The Disciple, whom was so close to The Signless that it was said that their love surpassed the quadrants themselves.

They were caught and were ordered to be executed by sunrise. The Executer felt sorrow for The Disciple and spared her life, for the rest of her life; she would reside in the caves and write the story of The Signless from the blood of her victims. She never pitied anyone again and at night trolls were able to hear her screams of anguish.

The Signless was chained to a cliff by iron cuffs that were still burning hot, the cuffs dug into his thick grey flesh and his blood dripped down his forearms, his blood for everybody to see. His tears of pain trickled down and after sweeps of being a peaceful creature, his life long anger broke free and from his tongue, he lashed out such words of hate. Nothing could quell his anger as he continued to shout at the crow below him who watched with unforgiving stares.

The Executor drew his bow and fired his arrow. As it struck The Signless, he closed his eyes and bowed his head in defeat. Even after his death, trolls followed in his footsteps; praying for his and everyone's dreams to come true. For the hope that one day trolls would finally work together as one. Sadly, that still has not happened. Everyday trolls are killed just because of their blood colour. I wear this pendent because I am a follower of The Signless, The Sufferer." Blue tears threaten at the corner of Aranea's eyes as Dirk stares up at his tutor.

"Your Majesty, please promise me something." The prince stays quiet as he continues to stare at Aranea with his fiery orange eyes.

"Promise that when you become king, you will rule with a fair hand. Don't allow your kingdom to fall to pieces." Dirk hesitates then nods his head slightly. His eyes are full of determination.

"I promise Aranea." She smiles through her tears and clasps her grey hands over Dirk's pale ones.

"Thank you Prince Dirk. You will be a fine king one day."

* * *

After his studies, Dirk takes a walk though the palace gardens where he sees his mother lounging next to the marble fountain. She's dressed in a deep violet silk gown, the gown cups her body loosely for her bloated belly. Her long blonde hair sits on top of her head in intricate braids.

"Mother!" She turns her head in his direction and smiles.

"My little prince! How are you?" Dirk hugs his mother, his head resting on her stomach. He wishes that he could speak to his baby sister or brother in there. He would be an excellent big brother, protecting his sister or brother from the clutches of his elder sister, Roxy.

"I'm fine mother, I got done with my lessons with Aranea."  
"Oh? How was that?" Dirk shrugs and pulls away from the queen.

"Boring. She talks a lot." She laughs.

"She has words of wisdom and she's eager to share her stories." His mother pauses and smooths out Dirk's wild white hair that he inherited from his father, "You should go to sleep now, young princes need as much sleep as they can get." Dirk hides his disappointment; both of his parents rarely pay attention to the small prince. They're too busy with problems concerning Skaia so they place their children under the care of maids and tutors. Dirk silently stands up and walks away without a word.

He knows that they have important matters to tend to, but that doesn't stop his jealous thoughts. Why should he share his parents with strangers- with peasants? His small fists clench together and he silently curses them for not loving him enough.

* * *

Dirk tosses and turns in his bed. Nightmares of Aranea's story plague his innocent mind. He blankets that are drenched in sweat knot around the five-year old. In his dream, he is being crucified. He calls for his parents who never come, instead the onlookers laugh at the young boy in cuffs.

A faint screaming in the distance finally frees Dirk from his twisted nightmare. He shoots up in bed and strains his ears and his heart starts to race as the screaming grows louder.

"The queen! She's dead!"

**Author's Note**

Here is chapter one of A Prince's Hope. I'm a bit iffy on this story only because I don't know how I'll be able to write it in later chapters. Oh well, challenges are always fun. This is the third update for tonight and my shoulder is killing me, I may just update Misfit Love tomorrow sometime. Reviews are always welcome! Until next time!


	3. The Prince's Hunt

Warm May air whistles through the long grass, not a cloud is in sight as hidden song birds chatter amongst each other. A nearby stream gurgles quietly, its crystal clear water splashes upon nearby rocks. A magnificent buck grazes on the healthy green grass, its velvety light brown fur is just starting to be warmed up from the morning sun when an arrow speeds through the silent air and embeds itself to the buck's side. Before it has a chance to react, another flies from the trees and kills the buck.

A hearty laugh fills the clearing, the king and his eldest son walk out of the woods. Dirk's father claps his son's shoulder, his tired eyes twinkle with pride.

"Good job my son!" Dirk feels nothing, he didn't want to go hunting. His thoughts were numb as his finger let go of the drawstring. There was no need for that buck to lose his life, being of royal blood Dirk and his family don't have to worry about not having enough food to eat. The buck will only be simply discarded; because of this, Dirk feels resentment for the sport his father loves so much.

"That was a good shot, someday you shall be a find huntsman."

"Thank you father." Dirk mumbles, he kneels next to the deer and gently runs his hand over the soft fut. Dirk's hair falls across his blank orange eyes and in one swift movement he brushes his away and pulls the two arrows out.

"We should go further into the woods. Perhaps we'll be able to find more bucks."

"Yes father." With a dull response, Dirk stands up and follows his father North; leaving the cooling corpse of the buck behind for the crows.

They walk up a hill with gentle slopes. The king pauses at the top, a brilliant smile lights up his pale face.

"I always loved this sight, ever since I was younger than you. It was my dream to run away and live in this valley." Dirk nods his head and continues to stare down at the grassland. His mind starts to wander back to his late mother. Eight years have passed since his mother has died giving birth to his younger twin siblings, Dave and Rose. Never again will he see her tender smile and her loving hugs. In a way he despises his brother and sister for taking his mother away from him. On the other hand, he knows that he must watch over them. Their father rarely speaks to them, taking Dirk out to hunt was surprising to all of the Strider household.

Strolling through the quiet forest, Dirk stares up at his father and frowns. Since the death of his beloved wife, the king has lost weight and faint wrinkles have appeared at the corners of his mouth; making him appear much older than he actually is. He also withdrew into himself, not taking the role of king nor father.

The Grand Counsellor, Egbert now has kingship. Dirk doesn't exactly care for this fact, ever since he learned of his arranged marriage with Jane Egbert in order to strengthen the Grand Counsellor's position. Dirk has begun to feel like a pawn on a chess board and only feels more restricted within his prison.

"Did you hear what I said?" His father's hissing voice brings Dirk back into reality.

"No, my apologies father." The King lets out an exhausted sigh and points ahead of them.

"Striders should _always_ be on the alert. Don't be a disappointment. I said there's movement up ahead." He looks at his young son expectedly who nods slowly and walks cautiously, he steps lightly like how his father taught him and draws an arrow. He steadies his breath and focuses on the shrubbery ahead of him. Dirk;s heartbeat grows louder until it is all that he can hear as he creeps forward. Reaching a hand to the plants, Dirk quietly pushes them to the side and comes face to face with a boy with wild eyes, fear freezes Dirk as he sees the boy's dirty hand holding a dagger that is poised above Dirk's head. The blade is lackluster, dull red rust spots the dagger from hilt to tip. Still appearing rather sharp and expertly handled, the dirk covered hand rushes down and Dirk squeezes his eyes shut.

**Author's Note**

****And here is the third chapter. It is somewhat short, I'm sorry for that. There is a reason as to why I haven't been updating Misfit Love, I still can't find my flashdrive. It is lost in the abyss of my house. Which is total chaos because I'm being kicked out of the house at the end of the month due to my kind and loving mother. It has something to do with my bringing shame to her and so forth. I have two options of either moving back up to Alaska and live with my father or move to South Dakota and live with my grandpa. I don't know what I'm going to do, I have but a week to decide. Gaia will be up in a bit. Until then.


	4. The Orphan's Story

The young boy falls to his knees and drops his raven-haired head to the dusty ground. The muscles underneath his tanned skin tremble in anticipation and the mysterious boy shouts to the ground.

"My King! I apologise over a thousand times! For I thought that the murderers were chasing me! I never intended to raise any sort of blade towards your son!" Dirk looks down at the petrified boy with rising interest. He has never seen this adolescent that's shaking in front of him, perhaps, he is just a gypsy; or this is a trap and both father and son are in risk of being attacked at any giving moment. With this thought on mind, Dirk grows tense and alert to his surroundings.

His father says nothing as he looks from his son to the boy, he raises a pale, freckled hand and speaks softly; both boys have to strain their ears to hear the king's gruff voice.

"Why would murderers be after you? Who are you?" The boy stops trembling and takes in a deep breath, still focusing at the ground before him.  
"I am Jake English, my story is long and sad. I am weak from hunger and thirst. I'm respectfully requesting for your almighty kindness for even just a crumb and a drop of water." Once again, the king does not answer; the sun beats down on his head and makes a halo of light from his white hair. Dirk feels sympathy for the stranger, and perhaps to repent himself for the buck's death, reaches for his canteen and wordlessly hands it to Jake. He stares up at Dirk with surprised green eyes. Dirk hitches in his breath, never before has he seen such vibrant green eyes.

After drinking from the prince's canteen, Jake thanks the fair headed prince thrice more then immediately drops back to the ground, the king orders him to rise and Dirk finds himself studying Jake, memorized by his deep green eyes. Jake's voice is faint and coarse as he starts to recall what dark luck has befallen on him

* * *

-Three days prior-

A horse drawn carriage travels through the forest, the morning rays of the sun is filtered through the dark and healthy green leaves. Forest life is just starting to wake up with the delicate songs of birds and the battering of squirrels in the huge oak trees. Peals of silvery laughter emit from the carriage and an elderly man at the front of the carriage smiles, wrinkles appear at the corner of his faded green eyes and mouth.  
Jake sticks his head out of the carriage door and amiably shouts out to the elder up front.

"Grandpa! Jade wants to know how much longer until we reach the next village." Jake's grandfather leans back and twists the end of his moustache thoughtfully.

"It shouldn't be long, we should arrive before nightfall."Jake thanks his grandfather and leans back into the wooden carriage. He turns back to his eight year old sister.

"Before sunset we'll get there, just think about it Jade! We'll be able to sleep in real beds for once!" Jade's thick black hair falls over her bright and lively emerald eyes, her buck teeth protrude slightly as she smiles.

"I can't wait! Maybe we won't move this time! Poor Bec can barely keep up with us anymore." Jake knows that as long as they stay with their only family, their grandfather, they'll always be travelling. For he is a merchant that sells the latest and best weapons in the market.

They travel in silence and listen to the soft melodies of the birds flying over their peaceful carriage. After a few quiet moments, the grandfather halts the carriage. Climbing down carefully so he won't further upset his arthritis, he asks Jake to gather firewood while Jade and him unpack the cooking supplies.

Jake obeys his grandfather's wish and sets up further up the road. Not a cloud is in the sky and the humid May air starts to warm up even more, Jake, who is already starting to sweat at the nape of his neck wipes away the sweat and continues to walk on cheerfully. Nothing could bring him more happiness than being outside.

Back at the carriage, Jake's and Jade's grandfather unpacks a basket that contains several food items and watches his youngest grandchild play with Bec, the family's snow white German Shepard. Bec suddenly stops dashing around and snaps his head over his slim shoulder and lets out a low growl.

Jake hears screaming in the direction of the carriage, he drops the sparse firewood and sprints back to the carriage. His heart pounds against his chest and his mouth grows dry as he pushes himself faster. He stumbles on a rock and his body crashes down on the well-traveled road. Pain screams throughout his young body. Blood flows from a gash on his forehead and turns his vision red. He scrambles up to his feet and races forward. He bursts into the resting place and sees his grandfather laying in a pool of his blood. Jake reaches his grandfather and places a hand on his already cooling flesh.

"Grandpa. . ." A wheezed whisper emits from him as he stares at his dead grandpa. His mind goes blank when he realises that Jade and Bec are nowhere in sight. Jake tries to get up but his legs betray him and he buckles to the ground with a soft sob.

He sees no trace of the murderers nor his remaining family, Jake is now truly alone in the world and for the first time in years, he cries.

* * *

-Present day-

Dirk feels a twinge of sympathy for Jake who sits silent with glassy eyes as he recalls his past. The sun has risen to the middle of the sky and Dirk feels a bead of sweat dribble from his hairline.

"Come with us." Both boys look to the king who adorns a very faint smile, "We could always use more servants; you'll be Dirk's personal servant. You are obliged to do everything he wishes. Is that clear?" Jake nods quickly and focuses his gaze to the ground once more. What would his grandfather think of all of this? Abandoning the proud English tradition of merchants to become the servant of the king's eldest prince? Jake frowns but knows that he has no other say in the matter.

**Author's Note**

Here's the fourth chapter. I already stated this in Gaia, but in case you don't know. I'm moving to a new place that won't have internet so I won't be able to update as much as I normally do. So what I'm going to do is finish writing both this and Gaia (and find that fucking flashdrive that has Misfit Love, the whole story is complete but I lost that damn flashdrive.) and update everything at once! It'll be like Christmas, or whatever holiday suits your fancy. I do not know how long it'll take to finish both stories because I'm going through this terrible bout of depression where I just want to slink off to some corner and sleep for the rest of my life. Well, on that note. I guess this will be the last update for this one for quite a while. Gaia will have another chapter up tomorrow though.


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